"Draco was at your aunt's house?"
"Yes."
"With his father?"
"Yes and Voldemort, and someone named Dolohov."
"And they replaced your aunt with a toy that Albus mistook for her real body?"
"Yeah, the greatest sorcerer in the world couldn't tell the difference between a witch and a taxidermy-version of her. Go figure."
Jessica wasn't dealing with Snapes's intensive questioning so well. She had been sitting for hours in the corner of his dingy office, knowing that an explosive volcano of emotions could erupt at any moment.
She didn't quite know how to explain to him how it felt to find out that every single person around you had lied to you at some point, to either deceive or protect you. It was just like when she had woken up that morning at St Mungo's, not believing in anything that was being shown or said to her.
"What's taxidermy?" asked Snape, stopping his pacing to stare down his pointy nose at her.
"Stuffing animals when they die," Jessica replied dully, her eyes staring into the floor, "muggles do it."
Snape scoffed in disgust, "Muggles stuff their pets?"
Jessica defended the idea, suddenly wanting to stick up for everything about the non-magical world, no matter if she agreed with it or not. "Oh yeah, that's so weird, unlike wizards who grind up their body parts to brew into potions."
Snape shrewdly changed the subject as he walked back behind his desk, annoyed that she had attacked his livelihood. "I just don't understand, he's usually so particular, how did he not recognise that it wasn't a real body?"
Jessica placed her chin in her palms, her knees supporting the arms that were too tired to hold up her head alone. "Well he missed my Hogwarts letter when I was eleven so maybe old man Dumbledore is getting a bit-"
"You were meant to receive a letter?" Snape interrupted. His crow-like eyes squinted at her underneath his mop of black hair.
"Yeah, I read it in my aunt's file when Bill and Tonks took me to Gringotts," Jessica said innocently, "it was in her will, she said she wanted to give me joint access on my 11th birthday so I could get stuff for here. I guess Dumbledore just forgot to send it over."
"Dumbledore doesn't forget," said Snape, opening up his top desk drawer to pull out some parchment and ink, "if your record was destroyed it was for a reason. I was under the impression you had only just gained magical abilities."
"Lucius Malfoy probably did it on his lunch break," Jessica retorted as Snape dipped his quill into the ink and put it to parchment, "it makes sense now. They wanted the necklace so they destroyed the documentation of the vault, meaning I never got access, and then when Voldemort came back and tried to break in they found it empty and came looking for me instead. After that all failed they sent Draco to befriend me in the hopes I would come quietly. What are you doing?"
"Writing to Dumbledore," Snape replied, scribbling away.
"Wait you know where Dumbledore is?" asked Jessica, the surprise of Snape knowing this not even being a shock to her, "where is he?"
The scratching of the quill crescendoed into an uncomfortable rhythm. "You better go back to the common room," ordered Snape dismissively, "any longer and they'll suspect somethings up."
"Go back?" Jessica argued, sitting up from her slump against the wall. "I can't go back now, I don't know if Draco's going to try and sell me to Voldemort in my sleep!"
"You have the necklace, you'll be fine," snapped Snape, "goodnight, and be safe."
Be safe.
Be safe?
He must have been joking.
Jessica hardly wanted to be there as much as Snape wanted her to be there but at least in here she was protected with a qualified teacher. Outside there was too much anger to face, and so much danger was between her and the solace of the Gryffindor common room.
She looked to her left and placed tidily on top of a little cupboard was a small vial of clear liquid. It was just out there unprotected, daring to be touched, and Snape wasn't paying it any attention. Jessica reached out and wrapped her fingers around the bottle, subtly tucking it into her robe when Snape wasn't looking.
"Are you going to check in later?" she asked as she opened the door, but Snape was too busy to answer her as he was writing away.
She never fooled herself into thinking he cared for her, even as her Head Of House, but given the situation she would've thought he would've shown some concern.
"Bye then."
Jessica exited Snape's office with her uniform hanging off her like an ill-fitting suit. It was damp from where she had sweated in her vision, and her hair was straggly from where she had been pulling at it. She needed a long shower and a good nap, but the question was where she was safe enough to do it.
The Gryffindor common room was eight floors away.
Jessica walked along the darkly lit corridor of the dungeons until the light started to grow from the candles that hung above the Slytherin common room door. Her mouth went open to say the password 'pureblood' but she stopped herself before a sound could come out. That room had no place for her now, and she certainly couldn't bring herself to say that word.
"Jess," said a hopeful voice from the staircase, "we were just looking for you, we thought you might have been sleeping."
Jessica turned her head to the left and through thin strands of curly hair saw Theo and Pansy. Both were still clean and intact as if they had just had a morning of normal lessons.
"You're walking, that's good," said Theo with a smile that was unusually timid, "how are you?"
Her eyes did not see her best friends at that moment. She simply saw people who were not on her side.
"Where's Draco?" Jessica asked them monotonously.
Pansy's eyelashes batted as she looked to Theo for support. "In Umbridge's office fighting to keep your place in the squad. She isn't happy J."
With the knowledge that both Umbridge and Draco were occupied, Jessica walked straight up to them and nudged both out of her way. She knew that this was a short window to get out and her only chance to go unfollowed, so she started climbing the steps at a fast pace.
"Jess we're sorry," Theo expressed with mild regret as he stared after her, "we feel awful. We need to tell you that-"
"Awful," Jessica scoffed and she stopped halfway up. She spun round to face her guilt-ridden audience below.
"Do you know what's awful? Getting tortured because your friends are too shit scared of speaking up. The time to talk was hours ago, I don't want to hear your excuses, or anything from you actually, ever again."
That was the last word she had planned on saying to them, but as the people she had come to know and care for, they didn't stop until they tried to prove themselves justified.
"Come on Jess seriously?" whined Pansy, a tone Jessica had learnt to mind until now, "cut us some slack. We need to be in the Inquisitorial Squad, and so do you. It's survival here and we need the protection."
"Funny," Jessica retorted venomously, "it didn't give me much protection when Draco pointed his wand at me did it? Though maybe I'm being too harsh on it, because neither did you."
"And what if we had stood up and said something?" Theo argued, stepping up one step closer to get to her. His rich brown eyes were pleading with her to listen. "What would that have achieved? Three of us in pain whilst our reputations got ruined? I didn't want to get tortured!"
She couldn't believe his ignorance, though, on second thought, maybe she could. Selfish was her first impression of them both. She should've listened and never let her judgement be tampered with.
"That's the thing about torture Theo, no one wants to experience it," Jessica replied sarcastically, "but you didn't think twice about doing it to someone else to gain a few bonus points did you? No, it's all about you looking good. Fuck you...fuck you both."
Now she really was done. She wasn't going to listen to them trying to redeem themselves or argue why they were doing the right thing.
Jessica turned back and walked up the staircase again, sensing Pansy come after her until Theo held her back. With her head held high and feeling energised from shaking two weights off of her shoulders, Jessica fastly walked up the remaining stairs and made her way through the floors of the castle. It was only mid-afternoon, yet the place was empty. It was as silent as midnight. If you didn't know it was a school you would've thought the whole thing was abandoned.
Jessica though found comfort in this loneliness. For if there was no one around, that meant that there was no one around to pose a threat.
On the seventh floor staircase, she sped up, itching to get to her destination. She perhaps shouldn't have been walking as fast though, as when she approached the beautiful portrait it swung open and nearly hit her in the face.
"Ah shit sorry," said George as he stumbled out of the portrait hole. He did a double-take at her and then quickly looked all around them, noticing her distraught. "Jess, what are you doing here? How are you walking? Are you okay?!"
Jessica was just so happy to see him that she leapt forward and hugged him around his torso. He was taken aback but soon snapped out of it and rubbed her back in a brotherly manner, causing her to almost shed a tear.
"I didn't know you were such a hugger," George chuckled as she squeezed him tighter, "you know I'm not Fred right?"
"Of course I know," said Jessica, wondering why he thought she wouldn't be happy to see him, "in fact, I couldn't possibly think of anyone else I'd rather see right now. Can I come in? I really can't stay there tonight. Oh god, George, everything is so messed up you can't imagine, first you guys had to be put through all that and then-"
"Hey, hey, Jess, breathe for Merlin's sake," George wheezed, "you're going to break my ribs and you should be saving your strength after what happened to you. Of course you can stay."
Jessica relaxed her arms after George let out a small groan. She really couldn't help but cause destruction everywhere she went.
"Sorry, thanks," she said as she pulled away from him, seeing a large cotton bag in his hand, "oh no are you meant to be somewhere?"
George looked at the bag sadly and Jessica's partial happiness faded from her body. "I was just getting something for...," said George, pausing pensively for a moment as he scratched his red hair, "...well, you better come see this."
George nodded towards the large tapestry across the floor and headed to it, Jessica following him closely.
"What's going on?" asked Jessica eagerly, worried that her worst day was about to become even worse, "Is everyone alright? Was there a DA meeting I didn't know about?"
"I don't know how to say this Jess," said George, appearing rather conflicted, "especially in your sensitive state and all but uh - after you left, things took quite a bad turn."
"How?"
George took a large sigh.
"Umbridge made it one in three that got punished instead of one in ten," he explained, "and allowed them to be as vicious with it as they liked. It just kept getting worse and worse. The Slytherins were all fine of course but..."
The two of them slipped under the woollen tapestry and George stared at the wall as Jessica awaited his next sentence with horror. One in three...one in three? That evil witch really had outdone herself this time.
"...that just meant more for the rest of us."
The doors to the room of requirement opened at George's request and as soon as she could peak inside, Jessica gasped after realising what George had meant.
The entire room was a sight of casualty.
Students were lying everywhere; on chairs, on tables, with many even lying on the floor. Angelina Johnson, Neville, Hermione, Colin Creevy, Dean Thomas, Luna, Cho, Cormac Mclaggen, Pavarti Patil, Lavender Brown, Ernie McMillan and Hannah Abbott - she recognised them all instantly, but there were countless other students who were ill and motionless next to them. There were a lot more people in there than normal - she was sure of that.
"I should get Madame Pomfrey," said Jessica, springing into action to cope with what she was seeing, "she can hide in here. I can help, I can get her."
"No use," said George as he pulled her back from running away, "she's too busy with the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuff's. Me, Fred and anyone strong enough had to help lift people up here just to ease the congestion in the hospital wing."
Jessica had never felt more guilty in her life. This was an attack against her for rebelling against Umbridge, and everyone she cared about had paid the price. She was the one to blame for most of their injuries.
She counted the injured up one by one, the numbers reaching the high tens, but she always kept an eagle eye out for one person in particular - one red-haired boy who was the only person she couldn't see.
"Speaking of, where is Fred?" Jessica asked worriedly, "oh god she didn't get him anyway did she?"
She wouldn't put it past Umbridge.
"No he's fine," George replied, allowing her to release the breath she was holding, "look."
Jessica went on her tiptoes to see where George was pointing. At the very back of the room, there was a group of Gryffindors surrounding Alicia Spinnet, including Lee Jordan who was holding her down whilst someone else was using their wand to heal her wounds. It was Fred. He was using the spells Jessica had taught him to help. She watched on with pride as he smiled and said something to Harry who was next to him, and Harry nodded and pulled out his own wand to takeover. Fred wasn't just healing...he was teaching, and leading the room with confidence.
"Healers make sure you concentrate okay," he announced to the room commandingly whilst clapping to keep up morale, "we need these wounds healed up completely if we're all going to get awesome battle-scars!"
The drive in his body language was incomparable to anything she had seen him do before, and as he went from that huddle to another, not a glimmer of doubt was seen in his determined expression. His next group was being looked after by Seamus Finnegan, and the casualties included two Ravenclaw fourth years, Dean Thomas and...
"Ginny!" said George and he grabbed Jessica's arm strongly, causing her to wince from his strength, "oh thank merlin she's awake! I went back to get her spare clothes cos of well...the blood. That's what's in here. Come on, she'd want to see you, and Fred could use the help. Hey Fred!"
Jessica tried to quiet George down, not wanting to interrupt the work going on around them just to announce their presence. However, as soon as Fred's head popped up from the huddle to look their way, she completely forgot her reservations and walked with George towards him. Fred stood up and walked towards her too like there was a rope tied between their cores pulling them together, and George ran to Ginny's side as the brothers crossed paths to embrace their respective concerns.
"You're alright," Fred said as he wrapped his arms around Jessica's head and waist, "I'm sorry, I wanted to come find you but I couldn't leave them like this."
He was sweating from the pressure and the greenhouse nature of the room, but she didn't care, after the day's events she was just happy to see someone she fully trusted.
"I wouldn't expect you to," Jessica replied as she snuggled her head into his school shirt, "George told me what happened, it's lucky you weren't hurt otherwise they wouldn't have anyone. I'm the one who should be sorry. If I hadn't opened my big mouth-"
"It's lucky?" Fred repeated and he lifted her face up to look at him, "Jess the only reason I'm able to heal everyone right now is because you opened your big mouth. If you hadn't stepped in I wouldn't be walking."
Though yes, without context that was true, there was so much shame roaring inside of her that she simply couldn't listen to that reasoning. It just came pouring out to him, the ramblings of a girl whose head couldn't keep the turmoil within.
"I know but was it the right thing to do?" she asked him, "I mean I didn't run to save anyone else before you did I? Who am I to decide that you're worth saving over everyone else? And now because I did decide to save you more people have been hurt than were ever meant to be!"
"Okay come over here," Fred huffed and with his arms slipping around her shoulder he walked her over to the back of the room where there was a small private tent set up with curtains around all four walls. Once inside, he placed her against the wall and bent down to talk to her quietly.
"I'm saying this because I care alright, but you need to stop thinking you're important enough to have all of this responsibility on your shoulders. You're a student here like I am, you just happened to be sorted into a house that's favoured that's all. It's Umbridge's fault and only hers. Maybe the Ministry as well. I would bet a hundred galleons that bitch was already planning on raising the stakes, your good nature just gave her the excuse. You tried to help us, but the rest of the Inquisitorial Squad are actually the ones who raised their wands and put us directly in danger. It's their problem, you got that? I don't want to hear you apologise for their wrongdoings ever again."
Jessica's eyes admired him with every word he said, and those words rang like a sweet melody to her ears. In a world where she had only had men tell her what she could and couldn't do, he was the only one doing it for her benefit and her benefit alone. He didn't make her feel blamed, nor responsible. He made her feel normal. He made her feel like the world wasn't crashing down.
"Since when did you get all mature?" Jessica asked, cupping his cheek affectionately with her right hand. She stroked his smooth skin as Fred stepped closer towards her, their stomachs touching as his arms wrapped around her lower waist to pull it upwards towards him.
"Since I had to watch you be brought to your knees by that scumbag," he told her, "it was hard to watch, but it did make me realise something. You're a leader, whether you think of yourself as one or not, but if you're too busy protecting all of us then there's no one looking out for you. I know you don't feel like you need protection, and I agree that you definitely can handle yourself, but I'd be damned if I couldn't make a fucking good number two and make sure you're supported mentally in the fight. Let me at least do that."
Jessica didn't waste a single second. She lifted herself up and pulled Fred's face down to plant a kiss on his lips, thanking him for no other reason than simply understanding her. She didn't care if anyone could hear, she didn't care if anyone could walk in any second, all she cared about was feeling his touch - and feeling that special spark he always gave her when they were together.
He was a good person, way more than she was. He had this energy that just made a person in the largest turmoil feel calm, and had the humour to make even the grumpiest person crack a smile. Up until now, she had been thinking that he wouldn't be able to cope, that he wouldn't be able to process her true story with his natural jovial nature - but with the behaviour she had seen from him tonight, she knew she had found the safest pair of hands she could confide in.
"Not number two," she whispered as she pulled back merely an inch from him, "partner. I want you to be on my team, officially. No more messing around in the shadows."
His eyes sparkled with the fire he expressed when he was excited, and it made her heart flutter.
"Jessica Clarke," he smirked cockily, mirroring her body language and cupping her face with both of his hands, "are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting or am I going to have to ask?"
"I think we better not waste any more time on it don't you," she smiled, her eyes glistening from the water that had built up from positive emotion.
"I just thought publically you were still...attached," he questioned, wrongly insinuating that she still gave a damn about keeping up at appearances.
"Fred," she sighed, "that had ended before it had even begun. I don't care anymore. If I see him again alive it will be too soon. I don't want to be a secret anymore. I want to be your-"
"Fred we need you," panted Katie Bell as she ran in through the curtains. Her posture tensed when she saw what she had interrupted, her eyes widening out of shock, and her high brunette ponytail meant that her disapproval of the situation could not be well hidden. "Sorry to barge in but Angelina's really bad and what I'm doing is wrong," she said stiffly, "could one of you help?"
The very fact she had said 'one of you' told Jessica that Katie's view of her had changed. She no longer had such a disdain for her.
Fred and Jessica looked at each other for a split second and at that moment both of their priorities aligned. They both ignored their mutual desires of wanting to finish their conversation and focused on helping the very thing that had initially torn them apart...Angelina.
"Where is she?" Jessica asked as the two of them started walking with Katie out of their private tent.
"Over here," said Katie and her face contorted in stress as she led them to the section of the wall that Angelina was being leant against.
Angelina was sweating and panting very heavily. A wound on her leg had already been healed by Fred, but it was starting to open up again, making her wince and cry out from the pain. Katie rushed to her side to try and comfort her, but all she could do was magic up a tissue to dry her tears.
"Pansy got her again on the way out," Katie explained, "it was a spell I'd never heard before, the sneaky cow."
Fred immediately drew out his wand to heal up the wound again, muttering to himself that he must have gotten it wrong the first time, but Jessica's attention averted elsewhere. It wasn't just Angelina's leg that was bleeding, it was her neck. Pansy had slashed it viciously and the blood was starting to go onto her hair. Jessicas brain kicked into action and she pulled out the green and silver striped scrunchie from her pocket. She then bent down and used it to put Angelina's hair up for her instead, keeping it out of the way and cooling her down.
"It's best to do the neck first, she's bleeding heavily there," Jessica told Fred as she started loosening her own tie, "I'll use this as a bandage for her leg in the meantime. It's less important."
"Won't they question why your robes are covered in blood?" Katie asked, actually caring.
"Probably," Jessica huffed as she wrapped the tie around Angelina's leg tightly, "but I don't care, I owe her one. Her blood is on my hands too."
Fred cast the healing charm on Angelina's neck that Jessica had taught him for minor injuries and she immediately saw the problem. That spell wasn't strong enough.
"Fred, I've got to do it with you," she said calmly as she drew her own wand out of her pocket, "keep your wand steady and glide it over the cut. We have to keep in time with each other."
Fred followed her lead without much convincing and let her take over as the main healer. He lifted his hand just over hers as Jessica cast the charm and he repeated it after, moving in perfect harmony together around Angelina's wound. As it was deep in the skin it required subtle movement and a lot of patience, but it worked. Together they healed Angelina without causing her much pain.
"Thanks," said Katie Bell as she lifted up Angelina's calmed body up onto her knees. Fred immediately went downwards, untying the temporary bandage on her leg.
"Just repaying a much overdue debt," said Jessica kindly as she looked sadly at Angelina, "I apologise on Pansy's behalf, I'm sorry."
"You're nothing like her," Angelina murmured as she struggled to speak. All three of them looked at her surprisingly. Angelina was looking at Fred, and for the first time, she wasn't angry.
"You don't owe me anything. Not even for him."
Jessica and Fred shook their heads, both ready to deny it for now since Angelina was in such a delicate state, but Angelina struggled to lift up her hand to stop them from attempting to speak.
"Oh come on, you think a girl doesn't know," Angelina told Fred directly, "ever since you wouldn't shut up about her on the first day I knew, give me some credit."
"I'm sorry," said Fred apologetically as Jessica glanced sideways at him, "I shouldn't have treated you like that."
"Damn right," mumbled Katie, and Jessica tried to hide the smile on her face. She could understand why as Angelina's best friend she would always fight for her.
"Just be a better boyfriend to her than you were to me okay," said Angelina weakly, "because I guarantee you don't want both of us on your ass."
"Damn right," said Jessica, copying Katie's words and bumping the fist of Angelina's that she had held out. The two girls shared understanding smiles, and Jessica realised that she never had to bring up that it was Draco that night she had kissed instead of Fred. Angelina never needed to know that, it was useless.
Knowledge of the past or of the present never helped anyone. It wasn't a gift, it was a curse. She needed to allow those that were lucky enough to be ignorant to have the ability to do so.
None of them would be better off sharing that knowledge.
"Jess?"
Ron had come out of nowhere with wet cloth in his hand. Fred and Jess turned to him apprehensively, knowing that their work had not finished just yet. Someone cried out in the corner and Ron's eyes twitched anxiously.
"Hermione's getting worse," Ron said, and he gulped as he tried to hold himself together, "as Fred's busy can you help?"
"Of course," Jessica answered and she got up immediately to walk with him. She knew Fred would understand her departure, for they had the same goal now.
"It's maybe the wrong time to say this," Ron continued guiltily as they paced quickly over to the other side of the room, "but I'm sorry I ever said that we shouldn't trust you because you were a Slytherin. You saved my brother and tried to stand up for us, that's really hardcore."
Jessica could see he was emotional but was trying to hold it in and stay strong. If he was anything like his brothers, she knew he would rather have had it done to him than anyone else. He needed a stable hug, a replacement for his mother's touch.
"It's okay," Jessica replied warmly and she put her arm around him, "but I think you were right about the whole Slytherin thing. You're actually pretty smart you know."
Ron blushed from the compliment but didn't look any happier, so she rubbed his arm consolingly until they reached the back corner where Harry was sitting - Hermione curling over in a ball at his feet crying her eyes out.
Ron rushed down to Hermione's side and put the wet cloth he was holding over her forehead, but Jessica stayed at the bottom end of her legs, drawing out her wand as she crouched to the floor. There were no scars, it was all internal pain. She tried to quickly remember something she had read, and a spell came to mind that Draco had shown her when reading on the sofa once.
The thought sent shivers down her spine.
"I'm going to try a numbing charm okay," Jessica announced politely to notify both Harry and Hermione that she was there. Harry looked up, his eyes reddened with overbearing shock, and exhaled heavily once he saw she was helping. "Ron, Harry try to hold her down," she ordered, "Yes, just like that Ron. It's going to be like a painkiller Hermione so just try and stay relaxed okay?"
"Everything hurts," Hermione whimpered as Ron and Harry held an arm of hers each like Jessica had instructed. Tears streamed down her innocent porcelain face and Harry and Ron both looked at each other in utter hopelessness.
"I know I'm sorry," Jessica whispered, a tear starting to form in her eye, "I'm sorry I didn't help sooner."
Jessica cast the "Sinesu" charm and an ice-cold blue light glowed from her wand. It caused a slight strobing sound as she slowly went along Hermione's body with it and after she had finished her entire right side, Hermione's breath came under control.
After Jessica had finished her whole body, she was no longer twitching, nor crying.
"How is that?" Jessica asked her, Ron brushing Hermione's bushy hair out of her wet face, "god Hermione I'm so sorry Draco did that."
"Don't be sorry," said Harry as Hermione tried to mutter an answer, "you don't have to say that to us ever again."
"It was wicked," said Ron, who now had the expression of utmost relief on his face, "you've got to teach me that spell you used to throw Malfoy back like that."
Jessica smiled at the black messy-haired boy and his friend sat in front of her. For a fleeting second, it felt just like those mornings in Grimmauld place where they would all sit in Ron and Harry's room and talk rubbish.
Hermione struggled again to sit up, and her left hand shook as she lifted it to point at Jessica's chest. "N-Necklace..." she whispered meekly, "it's her-"
"What?" Ron asked attentively, wrongly looking at Hermione's own neck to check for any issues. Jessica however, knew from Hermione's reputation that she never made a mistake. She had seen something about the necklace.
"Yeah my necklace, it was my grandmother's, try and think of your favourite things to Hermione," said Jessica quickly, trying to throw her off, "it always makes me feel better when I do that. For instance, I always think of a funny thing I saw a few years ago."
Jessica started laughing, overcompensating her nervousness. "One time yeah, I swear I saw a woman floating over my house but mum and dad had no recollection of it. Thinking back now I must have imagined it, but the woman's face was hysterical nonetheless. I used to think of that whenever I needed a laugh. Isn't that funny though, a woman...floating in the sky."
"Yeah imagine that," Harry laughed nervously.
"Where do you live again?" asked Ron, smiling but not laughing as Harry squinted his eyes at her through his glasses, "I don't think we've ever asked."
"Oh, just a small place in Surrey," Jessica answered casually, happy to continue the conversation on a different topic, "you probably haven't heard of it - I'm from little winging, a road called Privet Drive."
"What," snapped Harry, his jaw falling open.
Ron and even Hermione looked like they had just seen a ghost. Jessica couldn't for the life of her understand why. It's not like she lived anywhere exciting.
"Wait what's wrong with that-"
The sound of a thousand gunshots went off as the wall in front of them exploded. The mirror tiles shattered in pieces as the walls came crumbling down, everyone having to duck and cover their heads to escape the sharp shards. Those who were tending to their injured friends either helped them bend down or placed themselves over them as they couldn't move.
Thick dust filled the air and Jessica started choking, seemingly alongside everyone else as coughs could be heard beyond the grey mist. She reached out and grabbed an arm as she stood up and when the particles cleared away the faded outline of Harry came into her view. He had jumped over to her in the disruption.
"We need to talk," said Harry, "urgently."
"Indeed we do," said a commanding voice.
As the room became lighter and many students stopped coughing from the rubble dust, two figures could be seen from the newly made hole in the wall. One was black-cloaked with a hint of green, and the other was smaller but no less more visible in bright fuschia.
Everyone in the room could've sworn under their breaths at the same time.
"And what is this here then?" asked Umbridge, looking furious but still rather excited, "you're little rebellion hideout is it? Oh, this will call for serious ministry action indeed. Azkaban will be delighted."
"Hideout? It's a hospital!" Jessica shouted, stepping out from behind Harry, "fixing the damage you've caused!"
"Jess?" asked Draco as he saw her, his wand currently pointing at Ron and Hermione, "what're you doing here?"
"Don't you Jess me you lying little piece of shit," said Jessica as she charged forwards, "you wipe that stupid look off your face right now because I swear to god-"
Fred ran forward to hold her back as Umbridge had raised her wand at her. He was incredibly strong but this time he was struggling to hold her. She was seeing red.
Dark, thick, blood-thirsty red.
"I fully support you, in fact, I'd love to watch, but be careful," Fred whispered to her, "she'll target you harder."
"I don't give a shit you don't know what he's really done," Jessica shouted as she tried to struggle free, "how did you find us then Draco huh? Because this room is full proof so either you must have a really good intuition or you've known this whole time and lied about it. Wouldn't be the first time would it?"
"Don't try and turn it on him," snapped Umbridge as Draco took a step back, "he acted nobly and did the right thing. Which is definitely not what I can say for you."
"Yeah right, he's not capable of doing the right thing," jeered Jessica and her face screwed up as even looking at Draco made her painstakingly infuriated, "I know Draco okay. Stop pretending. I know. I know that you know where I come from. Now how did you really find us?"
Draco looked almost scared as the realisation hit him but nonetheless did not appear surprised, probably given the fact that he knew she could have visions. He looked up at her earrings and all of her instincts told her to rip them straight out.
"Tracking," he said, "do you really think I'd trust you after knowing your soft spot for these lot? The earrings have got a charm on them and I've been able to see everywhere you've been. You haven't taken one step without me being right there with you."
Fred let go of Jessica's arms immediately, seemingly agreeing that she now had the right to attack. "Okay go get him."
Jessica charged forward like a moth to a flame, drawn to the idea of her hands wrestling Draco's neck. "You bastard, you've been lying to me this whole time-"
"Jessica Clarke-"
"Oh fuck off you old bat!"
Without a second thought, Jessica sent Umbridge flying through the air and out of her way. Her necklace had activated and connected to her thoughts especially for the occasion.
"Fucking hell," said George and Lee Jordan from behind as Umbridge landed at their feet, unconscious.
Jessica muttered 'expelliarmus' and Draco's wand flew out of his hand, leaving him defenceless as she approached him strongly and grabbed him by the throat.
"You've been working for him this whole time haven't you?" Jessica whispered so that no one else could hear, "you've been trying to take me to him. Admit it."
Draco didn't answer her. The silence was his power, and she knew by now that power was all he cared about.
"Right," said Jessica and she reached into her pocket to take out the bottle she had stolen from Snape's office. Pouring the contents forcefully into Draco's mouth, she gripped his collar and pulled him up under her control.
"We all know you like using that mouth of yours, so answer the fucking question. Have you been trying to get me onside for Voldemort this whole time?"
It was the only time she didn't want Draco to agree with her, but he did, Draco nodded. He couldn't lie under veritserum.
"It wasn't just me," he argued, "it was everyone. Everyone was in on it. If we got you to support him then...we'd be rewarded."
Not since the announcement of Decree 29 had Jessica felt such heartbreak for a friendship. It couldn't be, she didn't believe it. There was no way that Theo, Pansy or Blaise would've known, hell those were her best friends.
However, Draco could only tell the truth, and she had to now open her mind to the possibility that everything that she had thought was real - everything that she thought was just hers and not manipulated, was perhaps was the biggest lie of them all.
"And this ring?" she insisted, her hands tightening around his collar.
"Wearing it's a pledge, to the Dark Lord," Draco answered, this time proudly as if it was an honour, "if you break it, the ring turns into a curse."
Jessica eased her grip as the ring around her hand became 100 kilos heavier. Deep down she had sensed there had been something wrong about it ever since it had been placed on her finger, but now it all made sense. That's why the ring wasn't coming off, it was bound to her, and that also explained why Theo had lied to her face about what it meant.
He had done the pledge himself.
"Why be nice instead of just kidnapping me or something?" she asked him, "It would've saved you the time and I sleep in close proximity. It would've been easy."
Draco's pathetic facade dropped and his dead eyes met hers. "You think we didn't try? You've been a tough nut to break Clarke. After the Hogsmeade scenario dad warned us off doing anything like that again, so we changed tactics, and besides by then, I knew what you liked in Weasley and where he was lacking so I wrote whatever nonsense you needed to hear. Funny how you came around pretty quickly after that. Though we weren't counting on your escape at the Christmas party, nor the dementors. I guess a Weasley has to ruin it every time."
Saved her every time more like.
"You set up all those traps?" she asked fretfully, the emotion making her body shake all over, "even Hogsmeade? But you took me to the Hospital Wing?"
"How else did you think I was able to get to you so quickly," Draco answered smartly.
Her hand released her grip on his collar, wanting to wash him off her skin and never touch him again. This had gone back so much deeper than she thought, and the betrayal broke her last piece of good nature.
Then, Draco did the worst thing he could've possibly done. He smirked at her. He smirked at her reaction of letting him go. So, she swung at him, hitting him right in the cheek. He groaned as her fist collided with his cheekbones, and he did a full 360-degree spin before he landed in a heap on the floor. It felt incredible, causing him pain like that - but it didn't cure the vacuum of darkness that her mind was suddenly descending into. Not even the cheerful whispers of the crowd behind her could do that.
"Idiot," she spat at him, snarling in disgust as she looked down at the frightened ferret shrinking below her, "didnt daddy tell you? You didn't have to bother with the ring - I'm already cursed."
She stepped over his body, the adrenaline of fury pulsing through her veins, and walked straight out of the room.
She wasn't safe in here, not anymore.
She was going to keep walking until she found Voldemort herself.
She was ending this, once and for all.
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Hey everyone,
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, it was one of the longest I've had to do considering what I needed to put in and I wanted to get it right!
Please leave a vote and comment if you enjoyed the chapter and I will update you all for the next chapter soon.
Lots of L,
K x